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    Outfit

    Black and White Gingham Top

    March 23, 2015

    Photos by Sarah Veyna

    Outfit Details:
    Handmade Gingham Shell Top (Similar top with sleeves)
    ASOS Trousers (Similar)
    Madewell Loafers (Similar)
    MAC Lipstick in Russian Red
    With a great amount of help from my mom, this weekend I made a gingham top out of leftover fabric from when I made this skirt. I wore it with trousers in this set of photos, but I like that it also looks great with skirts and jeans. I even paired it with a blazer later in the day, since it was a bit chilly, and it made for a great “professional” outfit. I’m planning on making most of my clothes this spring/summer since I’m feeling uninspired by most clothes in stores, and the pieces I do like are out of my budget. I’m probably going fabric shopping next weekend and hitting the ground running from there, so be on the lookout for more handmade pieces on the blog.
    Aside from various sewing projects, there are other long-term creative projects that I want to work on in the next few months, such as improving my photography. For that reason, I’m only going to be posting on this blog once a week. Although I love documenting the process of making things for this blog, what I really enjoyed about making this top was that it was a project that felt more personal and I didn’t have to finish it by a certain time in order to post it on this blog. I’ll definitely keep posting DIY tutorials and recipes on this blog from time to time, I just don’t want to get into the habit of only making things for the sake of blogging. What I envision right now is that I’ll rotate between DIY tutorials, recipe and outfit posts from week to week, depending on my mood.
    Another reason that I want to dedicate less time to blogging is because, as I’ve mentioned a couple of times, lately I’ve feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. I slept for about 12 hours Saturday night, if that gives you any idea about how exhausted I’ve been feeling lately. Although my feeling of burnout does not necessarily stem from working on this blog, I realize that I’ve been treating it like another job instead of the creative outlet it’s meant to be; the added workload that I have created for myself hasn’t necessarily allowed me to rest. I feel that cutting back on this particular activity will enable me to make time for self-care and have more balance in my life.
    I really hope that I didn’t sound too moody in this post. I just wanted to discuss how I’ve been feeling lately. I’m also curious to know if any of you have ever dealt with burnout, and what steps you took in order to overcome it. Any suggestions are deeply appreciated.
    Have a great rest of the week!
    xoxo,
    Helen

    Outfit

    Clothing Exchange

    March 10, 2015

    Photos by Ale Veyna

    Outfit Details:
    Floral Dress
    Crocheted Bag (Handmade by my grandmother)

    One of my goals for this year is to focus on being less materialistic, save money and make mindful purchases that will enhance my existing wardrobe. One of the first steps that I have taken towards this resolution is to get rid of clothes that I just don’t wear anymore. It is so much easier to make a list of pieces you need to add to your wardrobe when you have a clear perspective of what you’re actually wearing on a daily basis. Since I tend to be a bit of a hoarder and have had many items for years, cleaning out my closet took a bit of work; I sent a bag of clothes to thredUP last December, and just filled up a second bag this weekend. Even though I have been mostly working on getting rid of things instead of adding to my wardrobe, it’s much easier to find things to wear now that my closet is less cluttered.
    Another thing that I did this weekend was participate in a clothing exchange with my sister Alejandra. If you’re looking to add a couple of pieces to your wardrobe without spending too much money, clothing exchanges are a great way to do that. Since my sister was also in the process of getting rid of some of her clothes, it was the perfect opportunity for us to look through each other’s piles one last time and take whatever we wanted. Both our piles were filled with clothes that just didn’t fit either of our styles anymore, but I was lucky to find this floral dress in Ale’s. I can’t understand why she’d want to get rid of it, but I’m glad it’s now mine!
    I plan to talk about my own process of building a conscious closet in future posts and am working on a summary of my winter purchases for next week.  However, if you want to get a sense of what other people are doing to build a more conscious wardrobe, I would suggest that you check out the #ConsciousCloset series on In Honor of Design and Un-Fancy Blog.
    As always, thanks for reading!
    xoxo,
    Helen
    Food & DIY

    Where did the weekend go?

    March 2, 2015

    Photos by Ale Veyna

    Outfit Details:
    Free People Scarf (Similar here, here and here)
    Old Navy Chambray Shirt (Similar)
    H&M Chunky Cardigan (Similar)
    H&M Trouser Shorts
    Black Tights
    Madewell Loafers (Similar here and here)
    I’ve you haven’t figured it out from the title of this post, lately I’ve been feeling like I don’t have enough time to do everything that I want to do and have this feeling of being burnt out that I just can’t shake off. I think part of it is that I’ve been trying to fit in all these things that I love into my schedule–such as running, reading, blogging, crafting, writing, meditation, etc.–but I haven’t given myself enough time to rest. I need to work on being okay with not achieving everything on my to do list, realizing that I can’t do everything at the same time, and giving myself a break every once in a while. Please excuse me if this sounds repetitive from previous posts, but this is something that I constantly need to remind myself to do, especially since I often find myself in a similar state of being.
    Something that really helped me somewhat shake off the feeling of being overwhelmed was getting out of the house most of the day Saturday. Doing that got me away from my laptop and gave me a break from working on this space; I also made an effort to not be glued to my phone while I was out and about. I really love social media and this blog, but sometimes I think focusing too much of my time on those things prevents me from living in the moment. Sometimes it’s nice to disconnect and not feel the pressure to find some special highlight to share with the world through Instagram or Facebook.
    Other than me struggling to find time to recharge, it was a very good weekend, even if it was too short. As I mentioned before, I was out of the house most of Saturday and spent some time in Downtown L.A., attended an event at my old workplace, and then ended the night by going out for beers and pizza with my sister Ale. It also cooled down and drizzled a bit over the weekend, and the weather made it easier for me to take things slow; I kind of hope the rain sticks around for a few more days so that I can get the hang of this new, much slower pace.
    xoxo,
    Helen
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